Stubble-burning only option, say waterlogging-hit farmers

Muktsar : Farmers of waterlogged villages in Muktsar district are in a spot as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a ban on burning crop stubble, but they don’t have any alternative.
They claim that due to moist land it was impossible for them to plough the fields to remove stubble and sow the next crop.
A number of farmers even met the Deputy Commissioner today in this regard. They said the burning of paddy stubble was the lone option available to them. “Even after ploughing the field the stubble cannot be removed fully. Further, it is not possible to use heavy machinery to make bales of the crop residue. The labourers are scarcely available and reapers too can’t work properly due to land lying wet,” said Mangal Singh, sarpanch, Chuantra village.
Similarly, when asked Lachman Chand, sarpanch, Jhabelwali village, said, “We have been facing the problem of waterlogging for a long time. The underground water is available at the depth of just 2.5 ft. Thus the height of paddy stubble, too, remains high. If we will not burn it, we will not be able to sow wheat crop. The state government must think about us and bring out some solution.”
Meanwhile, Baljinder Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, said, “After the farmers approached the DC, we sent a team of our experts to waterlogged villages to assess the situation.”